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Chirality

Chirality

Chirality is a term that describes the lack of mirror symmetry in an object. In other words, chiral objects cannot be superposed on their mirror images. For example, our feet are chiral, as the mirror image of the left foot, the right foot, cannot be superposed on the left foot.
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...

Chirality in Nature

Chirality in Nature

Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid.

Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

Chirality is most prevalent in carbon-based tetrahedral compounds, but this important facet of molecular symmetry extends to sp3-hybridized nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur centers, including trivalent molecules with lone pairs. Here, the lone pair behaves as a functional group in addition to the other three substituents to form an analogous tetrahedral center that can be chiral.
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

Molecules that possess multiple chiral centers can afford a large number of stereoisomers. For instance, while some molecules like 2-butanol have one chiral center, defined as a tetrahedral carbon atom with four different substituents attached, several molecules like butane-2,3-diol have multiple chiral centers. A simple formula to predict the number of stereoisomers possible for a molecule with n chiral centers is 2n. However, there can be a lower number where some of the stereoisomers are...

2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2

2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO₂

Secondary amines react with nitrous acid to form N-nitrosamines, as depicted in Figure 1. Nitrous acid, a weak and unstable acid, is formed in situ from an aqueous solution of sodium nitrite and strong acids, such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, in cold conditions. In the presence of an acid, the nitrous acid gets protonated. The subsequent loss of water results in the formation of the electrophile known as nitrosonium ion.

Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity

Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity

It is essential to understand the difference between chiral and achiral interactions and the implications thereof in optical activity and their applications. Just as our feet, which are chiral, interact uniquely with chiral objects, such as a pair of shoes, but identically with achiral socks, enantiomers of a molecule exhibit different properties only when they interact with other chiral media. An example of a significant implication from this facet is the phenomenon known as optical activity,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Fabrication and Operation of a Nano-Optical Conveyor Belt

Fabrication and Operation of a Nano-Optical Conveyor Belt

Published on: August 26, 2015

Nano-kirigami with giant optical chirality.

Zhiguang Liu^1,2, Huifeng Du³, Jiafang Li¹

¹Institute of Physics, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.

Science Advances

|July 10, 2018

Summary

This study introduces nano-kirigami, a novel method for creating complex 3D nanostructures from 2D films in a single step. This technique enables precise shape control and achieves giant optical chirality in nanodevices.

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Area of Science:

Nanotechnology
Materials Science
Optical Physics

Background:

Kirigami offers versatile 2D to 3D shape transformation with simplified fabrication.
Traditional kirigami/origami techniques often involve complex, multistep procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate a one-step, on-site nano-kirigami method for fabricating 3D nanostructures.
To achieve precise control over nanostructure shape transformation (buckling, rotation, twisting).
To explore the resulting optical properties, specifically optical chirality.

Main Methods:

Utilized programmed ion beam irradiation for in situ cutting and buckling of suspended gold films.
Employed topography-guided stress equilibrium for precise shape control.
Developed mechanical modeling to predict nanostructure transformations.

Main Results:

Successfully implemented a one-step nano-kirigami process.
Achieved precise 3D shape transformations including buckling, rotation, and twisting.
Demonstrated giant optical chirality in 3D pinwheel-like nanostructures, absent in 2D precursors.

Conclusions:

Nano-kirigami provides a simplified and effective approach to nanofabrication.
The developed 3D nanostructures exhibit unique optical properties like giant chirality.
This method opens avenues for novel micro-/nanophotonic and mechanical devices.